Context in real estate photography

Context in real estate photography

The standard wide interior shots are only half of the battle to me. How many times have you gone to visit a property, an apartment, or a hotel and found out that the location is just not quite what you had expected? “Intimate, private backyard” might mean a fifty foot corridor between the rear deck and I-80, “trendy urban setting” could just be another polished phrase which translates to “parties until 4am on weekdays.” I always make an effort to put the house into a setting with my photographs. While the interiors are certainly important, there must also be photos which tell the story of the exterior of the house. I oftentimes have seen real estate photographer’s portfolios containing nothing but interiors. Why would you want to neglect such a large part of the home-buying decision in your portfolio?

Here are a few images from recent shoots in which I took note of an interesting setting that might play a very large role in influencing a home-buying or renting decision. Feel free to tell me if you think that they worked or didn’t work.

A condo overlooking the village at Northstar-At-Tahoe:

Here is an exterior of an Old Greenwood home. The pin and green give the house, which is nestled in the woods behind, context and added value to anyone interested in golf, which is a large draw of the Old Greenwood area.

These last shots do not even have the actual property for sale in the photographs, but rather they are views from that property. However, they are such a strong draw to the property that I felt they needed to be included with the final submission to my clients. All of the feedback has been extremely positive. It is nice to be able to look out of those beautiful windows before showing up to view a home. Half of what you’re going to see when you are in a home or rental is not the property itself, but the area surrounding it.